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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · snap · mouse · trunk · bowl · lean · march · field

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pop — music
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lean — thin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com